Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World

Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World

I was reading an article about Dubai and learned that this Middle Eastern city is the 8th most visited city in the world. I was kind of surprised, but at the same time wasn’t really. It prompted me to initiate the research on which were the other most visited cities in the world as once you know who #8 is, you want to know the rest of the list. The findings were, for the most part, not surprising. The biggest surprise in my mind was the placement of Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey on the #7 spot. Really? Istanbul beating Rome? Anyway, without further ado, below is the list of Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World including number of visitors a city receives per year.

Paris – France

Paris is the most visited city in the world with estimated 15.6 million visitors a year

Paris one of the first cities that come to mind of every traveler when talking about visiting Europe. Consider the most “chic” city in the world, Paris is full of stunning architecture, old churches, romantic cafes, spectacular monuments, art galleries and much, much more. Famous sites such as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame are a must visit for every traveler. And let’s not forget my personal favorite – the catacombs.

Paris - The Most Visited City in the World, Photo: agaw.dilim, Flickr

London – United Kingdom

London is the 2nd most visited city in the world with estimated 14.8 million visitors a year

Someone once said that when you get tired of London, you got tired of life. Life in London simply never ends. With sights like London Eye, Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, etc this city can’t possibly be a bore.

London - 2nd Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Anirudh Koul, Flickr

Bangkok – Thailand

Bangkok is the 3rd most visited city in the world with estimated 10.84 million visitors a year

Bangkok is a city where ancient world meets modern lifestyle. Scattered among skyscrapers are breathtaking Buddhist temples housing statues of Buddha offering quiet refuge from the hassle of the life outside. Iconic Khao San Road is perhaps the most notorious backpackers street in the world.

Bangkok - 3rd Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Stuck in Customs, Flickr

Singapore – Singapore

Singapore is the 4th most visited city in the world with estimated 10.1 million visitors a year

Singapore is on its way to becoming a tropical tourist hub that embodies the best of Paris, London and New York all in one. After separating from Malaysia and embarking on the path of independence in 1965, Singapore has been a textbook perfect example of a successful city.

Singapore - 4th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Merlion444, Wikipedia

New York City – United States of America

New York City is the 5th most visited city in the world with estimated 9.5 million visitors a year

The City that Never Sleeps has a personality of its own. Life cannot be complete without at least one visit to the Big Apple. It’s a mindboggling experience and it really doesn’t matter how much time you spend in New York, there is always something new and exciting to discover.

New York City - 5th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Stuck in Customs, Flickr

Hong Kong – China

Hong Kong is the 6th most visited city in the world with estimated 7.94 million visitors a year

When it comes to “East Meets West”, Hong Kong is the city. Vibrant and cosmopolitan, Honk Kong is considered one of the safest large cities in the world and the city with the best public transport in the world.

Hong Kong - The 6th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Sprengben, Flickr

Istanbul – Turkey

Istanbul is the 7th most visited city in the world with estimated 7.05 million visitors a year

Formerly known as Constantinople, Istanbul was once the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Voted the 2010 Capital of the European Culture, Istanbul is home to some of world’s finest architectural gems, such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace.

Istanbul - 7th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Oberazzi, Flickr

Dubai – United Arab Emirates

Dubai is the 8th most visited city in the world with estimated 6.9 million visitors a year

Built out of nothing and into the business hub of the Middle East in just a few decades, Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building (Burj Dubai), world’s most expensive hotel (Burj al Arab), world’s largest man made islands (Palm Islands), the indoor ski slope built in the middle of a desert and much, much more.

Shanghai – China

Shanghai is the 9th most visited city in the world with estimated 6.66 million visitors a year

Being the largest city in China, Shanghai is a bull on steroids that’s become East China’s international hub. Chinese traditions get intertwined with Western customs in a blend that will make the memories of your stay unforgettable.

Shanghai - 9th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: le niners, Flickr

Rome – Italy

Rome is the 10th most visited city in the world with estimated 6.12 million visitors a year

Rome personalizes thousands of years of human history. Roman Coliseum, The Forum, the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon – I could go on forever. And let’s not forget Vatican City and great Italian wine.

Rome - 10th Most Visited City in the World, Photo: Storm Crypt, Flickr

Visiting a place that’s on the Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World has both its advantages and disadvantage. The fact that so many foreigners travel to these locations means that there truly must be something worthwhile to see. But at the same time it also means that there will be thousands upon thousands of tourists there, making it rather overrun. They each still count as must visit before you die cities. I definitely have each one of them on my personal “my visit” list.

By the way have you noticed that alot of cities on this list are stopovers eg Bangkok, Singapore,Hong Kong and Dubai. Im not saying they are bad places to visit but lets face it alot of people are probably stopping over on their way to somewhere else…

Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful city? You must have been to a different Rio de Janeiro from the one I have visited. Cause the one in Brazil is a filthy dumphole with machinegun wielding gang members riding around on motorcycles every day. It’s the most dangerous place on Earth and everyone with just a bit of common sense would stay away from there. World Cup and Summer Olympics will be a blood bath. Brazil is a country of out of control murderers. Anyone wishing to learn the truth about Brazil is welcomed to check out http://www.bestgore.com but be cautious – Brazil is disgusting. You will be offended by what you will have seen.

I’m studying in Paris and it is certainly one of the most (if not the most) beautiful city of the world. However,the standards of living are not so great. Although you can own your own house in other european capitals like Amsterdam, Prag or Brussels. It is almost impossible in Paris since they are only flats. Of course I am not talking about London, New York or Tokyo where life is just too expansive and where you have to commute for more than 2 hours a day because you live in far away suburbs…

”if there were only one country in the world; Istanbul would be the capital” says Napolion !!! if you want to feel yourself living in asia and europe, living the history of 5000 years and modern world at the same time… go to Istanbul 😉

People always forget to mention European cities which are 10 time better than cities with glassed skyscrapers. My list is>>
1.London
2.Paris
3.Prague
4.Rome
5.New York, San Francisco
7.Montreal (mostly because of some old buildings)
8.Hong Kong
9.Istanbul
10.Barcelona

This is a subject that really interests me. What is it that brings people to a city? Is it architecture and culture, or maybe as someone else suggested, the convenience of a stopover? Or maybe good old marketing, I think Dubai has been exemplary at that.

May I suggest another city that should be in this top 10 is Venice (Italy). When I was there a few years ago, I remember my Lets Go/Rough Guide saying the city attracts 12 million visitors a year. If you hunt out statistics on line today, the estimates vary from 13.5 million to 20 million.

Istanbul is one of the biggest cities in the world, and undoubtedly is the most historical, most beautiful, and most cultural city. It will take more than one month to travel and experience Istanbul. I went to USA, NYC was so amazing, the skyscrapers were unbleivable, but I stayed there less than 1 week and the city was done! Climbing up to Empire State Building, seeing The Statute of Liberty, hanging out on Times Square, and that’s it. But Istanbul has everything! You can see the modern part in one side, and the historical side in other side. It’s all connected to eachother. I want to remind you that İstanbul was the 2010 Capital of the European Culture! Hope you can come and see our city one day… 🙂

In my point of view all of the displayed cities are beautiful, but for me what make a city nice is the people who live there… For example, i live in brazil and in the big part of my vacations i prefer to travel to differents brazilian’s beach cities, because i know that all place i go evebody will be good with me and my family…